Faculty Day & 50th Anniversary of the Faculty

Enlarge

On December 4, 2024, the Faculty of Geosciences at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) held its Faculty Day, which also celebrated the faculty's 50th anniversary. The event attracted numerous members of the faculty and representatives of the Presidential Board, who gathered for a varied program.

The Faculty Day began with ceremonial greetings from Dean Prof. Dr. Matthias Garschagen and Vice President for International Affairs and Diversity Prof. Dr. Francesca Biagini. Prof. Dr. Ralf Ludwig then spoke, first in his role as Dean of Studies (Department of Geography) and then on behalf of the Deputy Director of the Department of Geography, Prof. Dr. Johannes Glückler, who was ill. Prof. Dr. Claudia Trepmann, Deputy Director of the Department of Geosciences and Environmental Sciences, concluded the welcoming remarks.

Prof. Dr. Heinrich Soffel, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics, then gave the keynote speech on the topic of “50 years of the Faculty of Geosciences at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München”. In his lecture, Prof. Soffel looked back on the history and development of the faculty and, in particular, the entire LMU.

The keynote speech was followed by the inaugural lectures of newly appointed professors at the faculty. Prof. Dr. Elisa Mantelli, Professor of Glaciology, explained in her lecture “Unravelling ice sheet dynamics. A tale of theory, numerics and field observations”, she explained the complex interactions and dynamic development of ice sheets using theoretical models, numerical simulations and field observations. Prof. Dr. Alexander Haumann, Professor of Physical Geography with a focus on oceanography, presented his research on changes in the Southern Ocean and their effects on global climate and ecosystem processes in his lecture “What goes around comes around: A changing Southern Ocean”. Prof. Dr. Höhna, Professor of Theoretical Geobiology, spoke about the application of theoretical models and statistical methods in geobiology in his lecture “Theoretical Modeling and Statistical Inference in Geobiology across different Timescales”. Prof. Dr. Jahn, Professor of Interaction of Geomaterials and Living Things, spoke in his lecture “Geomaterials research: From first-principles to geological processes” about research on geomaterials and their significance for understanding geological processes and interactions with living things.

The program concluded with a discussion in which questions and comments from the auditorium were addressed. Dean Prof. Dr. Garschagen summed up the Faculty Day and expressed his thanks.

The day was concluded with a get-together where attendees were able to continue exchanging ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. The Faculty Day not only provided a festive setting for the 50th anniversary of the faculty, but also a valuable opportunity to recognize the research and teaching activities of the faculty and to promote cooperation among geoscientists at LMU.